Digimon Story: LoSt EvOlUtIoN
by Pokemon1235
Summary: A child is flung into an unknown world and he must learn to cope with it as a nebulous force begins operating in the background, seeking to destroy the boundaries demarcating the Digital World from his. But how is he to do so when his partner is unwilling to co-operate? The ties that bind will be put to test as the two worlds begin to merge, threatening the existence of both.
1. Chapter 1

**Digimon Story: LoSt EvOlUtIoN**

**Author's note: Hey guys. This is my new story. This is going to be a HUGE project for me, so I'm counting on you guys, as the readers, to help me through it. This story, like every canon Digimon series, will be AU and the first in the series. I'm a newbie in fanfiction writing and I've always wanted to write my own Digimon fanfiction ever since I was 12. Digimon remains till date my favourite cartoon (although I know it's technically an anime). So, without further ado, let's begin.**

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**Chapter 1**

A pair of watery eyes opened and took notice of the world before it. At first everything appeared hazy and blurred. Hands reached up and gently rubbed the eyes till the world came into sharper focus.

It was, well, for the lack of a better word, a strange sight which met his eyes.

He appeared to be lying on what appeared to be grass. It was a lush, soft green colour. The blades of grass swayed gently in the breeze, tickling his hands slightly. But what drew his attention immediately was the sky.

Unlike the traditional sky which was blue, this was of a multi-coloured hue. Varying shades of red, blue, yellow, green and orange intertwined and streaked across the space. The closest that the boy could relate it to was the mysterious phenomenon of northern lights, which he had been studying in his geography class a week ago. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, in panic.

_I'm in the Arctic?!_

The boy managed to raise himself and sat up. No sooner had he done so, did the world begin to spin around him.

_Whoa! Head rush!_ He thought, as he grabbed his head in an attempt to stop the dizzying effect. He shut his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, the world had righted itself and was stationary once more. The sky remained the same mystical colour which it had been seconds ago.

The boy managed to get and noticed the second strange observation of the day.

_I thought this was the Arctic? _was the thought that crossed his mind as he took his surroundings into view.

A field of grass stretched out in front of him. Towards what appeared to be the horizon, a dark cluster of trees sprang up and shielded the boy's view.

_Where…the hell am I?_

This wasn't the Arctic that he was sure of, without a shred of a doubt. He didn't even feel cold. In fact the temperature was neither hot nor cold. It was, oddly, a perfect temperature, evening out between warmth and coolness. A gentle breeze seemed to blow occasionally as it whipped up the strands of his hair.

"Hello?" he tried, calling out. "Is anyone here?"

His voice echoed vaguely, but no reply came.

The boy sighed.

_Guess I'm literally in the middle of nowhere, _he thought.

He set off walking towards the cluster of trees he had spotted on the horizon. After walking for a good fifteen minutes, he finally managed to reach the thick cluster of trees.

_Whew! That was some walk! _he thought, as he sat down in the shade of the tree for a quick rest before proceeding any further.

Little did he notice the strangely shifting nature of the shade of the large tree under which he had taken refuge.

He sat down against the tall, stout trunk of the tree. His stomach rumbled in hunger. But there was nothing to appease it.

Suddenly, the surroundings began to become misty as a strange fog began to enter the air around him. The boy looked about in wonder at the sudden change in the atmosphere. He was about to stand up to investigate, when to his shock, he noticed something hard and wooden wrapped around his left foot, firmly holding him in place. The boy's eyes widened as he noticed what it was.

It was a stout wooden creeper which held him in place. Ben managed to stand up and attempted to yank his foot free, but to no avail.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice sounded from seemingly nowhere. "Unless, of course, you want that leg torn off."

The boy whirled to his left and then to his right. But to his utter amazement, he could not locate the source of the voice.

"Up here." The voice sounded. Ben glanced up towards the source of the voice. His eyes widened in shock.

A pair of malevolent, gleaming yellow eyes stared down from what appeared to be the trunk of the tree. It was a crooked and nasty pair of eyes. The boy shivered, wincing in fear.

"W-what a-are you?" the boy stammered, in shock.

The eyes narrowed.

"I haven't seen a human in years." the voice replied. "I wonder what one would taste like?"

The boys eyes widened in horror.

He resumed trying to yank his foot free from the tree's grip. But just as before, the wood refused to yield.

The voice laughed darkly at the puny being's attempts to free himself. The wooden creeper whipped up suddenly, yanking the boy by his feet and raising him upside down.

"Don't take this personally." the voice replied. "It's just hunger."

The boy's eyes widened as the creeper began to draw him closer to the trunk of the tree. He watched in shock as a small crack began to widen in the trunk. It steadily widened out to become large enough. The boy stared down at the deep dark abyss. He shut his eyes, awaiting his demise. He waited to feel his flesh being torn apart bit by bit. But the boy refused to open his mouth in pain, refused to give the monster any satisfaction.

But the pain never came.

Instead, the boy felt a rush of energy sweep past him and collide with the creeper.

The voice grunted, as the creeper which held him loosened and eventually let go. The boy landed on the ground with a _thud_. Fortunately, he hadn't been too high, so he hadn't injured himself seriously. But he still felt sore all over from the sudden drop.

"Are you alright?" a gruff voice asked.

Ben turned to his side, and glanced up.

He was a tall figure with golden eyes and a jagged jawline. What appeared to be a faceplate covered his mouth. He had a green crystalline body which appeared to occasionally reflect the strange sky above him. He was broad chested. But most of it was covered with a dark grey suit which the boy assumed was armor of some sort which had a dark black line running down the middle. Large shoulder pads adorned the figure's shoulders. On his waist was what appeared to be a holster. The armor extended to his legs finishing in a pair of rugged boots.

The figure extended his hand towards him. The boy caught his hand and the figure pulled him up. Ben winced at how hard and yet smooth his hand was—like marble.

"Thanks. For saving me." the boy replied, shyly.

The figure shrugged.

"I was just passing by when I saw this Cherrymon was making a nuisance of himself." he replied, as he put what appeared to be gun (but was actually larger and more streamlined in appearance than one) back into the holster on his waist.

"Cherrymon?" the boy asked in puzzlement.

As an answer, the figure tilted his head towards the tree.

The boy glance back at the tree and noticed that its roots which had been firmly embedded in the ground earlier, were now uprooted. The tree appeared to be nursing the creeper which had been struck. Ben watched in amazement as the creeper was completely burned, having lost its wooden texture and now appeared to have become a shade of charcoal black. The creeper withered and fell off of the main body of the tree.

The boy observed the creeper, making sure to stand as far away from it as possible, lest it tried to grab it again. It appeared unmoving. To his surprise, the creeper dissolved into particles and disappeared into thin air.

_What the— _the boy thought in shock. But before he could think any further, the tree roared in rage.

"You'll pay for interfering." the voice replied, as the tree raised itself.

The figure smirked.

"I'd like to see you make me." he replied cockily. To the boy's surprise, the figure began to float into the air and rose up until he was level with the large pair of gleaming yellow eyes.

_Ok, _the boy though as he observed the figure who was busy staring down the tree_, I think I've seen everything today. First a talking tree. And now this._

"Strangling Vines!" the voice shouted out, as multiple branches lashed out towards the figure, in an attempt to ensnare him.

The boy's eyes widened as he observed the vines shoot out.

"Hey. Watch out!" he called out, in an attempt to warn him.

The figure observed the branches approach calmly. When they were mere feet away from him, he reached to his waist and pulled out the blaster in a flash, a movement which had been so fast that the boy was sure he would have missed it entirely had he blinked.

Without warning, he pulled the trigger.

A large blast of blue energy erupted from the nozzle and hit the branches, completely engulfing them in the blue light. The tree-like being recoiled its branches, hissing in pain.

"Had enough?" the figure asked, chuckling in amusement.

"Barely. Take this on for size!" the tree roared, as wooden arms appeared from the trunk and reached into the leaves, pulling out a handful of what appeared to be cherries and flung them at the figure.

"Cherry Bomb!"

The figure sighed. He watched as each cherry enlarged into baseball-sized bombs with fuses attached to them, which were glowing and preparing to explode. The figure simply flew back a few feet while extending his left hand out. A halo of blue light began to condense into his tips of each of his fingers, forming small spheres of energy. The figure flicked his arm forward releasing the blasts.

Each of the blasts honed in on the bombs and upon impact, exploded.

_Boom!_

The boy had to shield his eyes from the bright flash of light which had emanated from the explosion. Dust covered the entire scene. It began to clear steadily, to reveal the figure still floating in midair, completely unscathed.

The tree growled.

"Let's see you escape this! Illusion Mist." he murmured. As he muttered the words, the mist which the boy had seen earlier reappeared and began to thicken in concentration. Soon, all the boy could see was nothing but his own hands. He had completely lost track of both the fighters.

The tree chuckled malevolently.

"What are you going to do now? You can't hit me if you can't see me."

The figure simply cocked his head to the right, smirking.

"Well, you're half-right. I can't see you…"

Without warning, the figure disappeared into thin air.

The boy was suddenly alerted to the sound of a hard slam, and a gasp of pain, followed by repeated strikes and more grunts of pain. The mist began to thin out until dispersing completely.

Ben looked up and spotted the figure slamming his fists down upon the tree repeatedly. His large arms flailed about, attempting to grab the figure, but to no effect. He was too nimble and dexterous, deftly avoided all his attempts.

The figure back flipped, and extended his left hand once more. Energy quickly gathered in his palm, which he subsequently slammed straight into the trunk of the tree. The tree was blown back several yards from the resulting explosion. The tree-like being attempted to straighten itself, but fell back in pain.

The boy almost felt pity for the tree-like being, but what happened next was something he hadn't been expecting.

"Pathetic." the figure muttered in disappointment as he brought out his blaster. Without warning, he shot two rounds at the tree. Two blasts of energy engulfed the tree-like being, as it screeched in pain, before dissolving into particles, completely disappearing into thin air.

The boy gasped in shock at the sudden turn of events. He turned to glare at the figure who had alighted on the ground and was approaching him.

"You didn't have to do that, you know?" the boy replied as he neared him. "You were already winning. You could have just spared him."

The figure's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing.

"Really?" he drawled out. "You're defending him even though he would have eaten you alive without a second thought?"

Ben's face reddened in embarrassment at the question.

"Well…he didn't, did he?" the boy stammered out.

To the boy's surprise, the figure chuckled in amusement.

"You're a strange human." the figure replied. He extended his left arm, his palms outstretched firmly. "The name's Quartzmon."

The boy looked up at the proffered hand, before taking it hesitantly.

"My name is Ben. Ben Tennyson."

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**Author's note: There you go. The first chapter. Brownie points to those who can guess from which character I based the main Digimon on. If his appearance isn't enough of a hint, his and the central character's names should suffice.**

**Anyways, I could really do with a beta reader. If any of you guys are willing to volunteer, please let me know in the reviews or PM me. I'll be updating on a fortnightly basis as of now as I'm currently competing my dissertation and have my exams coming up. Meanwhile, read and review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Digimon Story: LoSt EvOlUtIoN**

**Author's note: ****Yeah. I believe its been about 6 months or so since I last updated. It wasn't because I gave up on the story. Far from it. This fic has been in my mind for quite some time and I don't intend on giving up on it anytime soon. Anyways, the last few months were quite hectic for me. I completed my post-graduation and am now gearing up for the next exam which will be taking place this month itself. So, this might be the only update this month. So, please bear with me. Anyways, enjoy.**

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**Chapter 2**

After the imminent introduction, Quartzmon suggested that the two should seek shelter as night was approaching.

Ben gave him a puzzled look.

"What do you mean?" he asked, as he gazed across the landscape. The sky was still flashing a multi-coloured hue. "It's still bright out here and—"

But he was cut off as Quartzmon raised his hand, following which he simply pointed towards the horizon. Ben followed his outstretched arm and glanced at the horizon. Towards the far end, almost merging with the horizon itself, the sky appeared to be darkening as a dark purple hue began to form. Without warning, a ripple of purple shot across the sky and Ben watched in amazement as it transformed in front of his eyes.

The multihued colours began to coalesce together, slowly condensing into a single point as the point began to expand in diameter. Ben watched in awe as the colours began to shoot across the sky from multiple directions and soon assumed an orb-like shape. The orb simply hung in the sky casting an eerie, yet beautiful glow. Ben was so mesmerized by the sky's transformation that he had failed to take into account the rest of the environment.

He gasped in surprise as his eyes wandered over the landscape which had changed dramatically in a matter of seconds.

The grass itself appeared to be glowing or what Ben assumed, was reflecting the multihued orb which floated silently in the sky. Darkness had fallen over the entire land and the only source of light that Ben could make out was the orb which hung in the sky, suspended in transition.

"_That's _what I meant." a voice replied to his left, jarring Ben out of his thoughts.

It was Quartzmon. Ben noted the slight change in his appearance. He could now distinctly make out the crystalline substance that comprised his body. Yet, it occasionally did reflect the multihued light as he shifted about.

Ben ran a hand through his hair.

"OK. Where the hell am I?" he asked in exasperation for the second time in an hour.

Quartzmon chuckled in amusement.

"You, fellow human, are in the Digital World." he replied with a smirk.

Ben just stared back at him, a blank expression on his face. The warrior sighed.

"Let's keep moving. I'll fill you in on the way." Quartzmon replied as he turned to face the rest of the trees in the way. Ben watched as he shut his eyes. They remained close for a few seconds before he reopened them.

"Coast's clear." he replied as he took a few steps towards the trees. When he noticed the child wasn't following, he stopped and turned.

"You need a formal invitation?" the warrior asked sarcastically.

Ben huffed, but decided to answer him regardless.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Ben asked as he dusted his clothes off. He watched in interest as the dust seemingly vanished into thin air seconds later. "You could be trying to kill me too for all I know. I didn't exactly get a 'good' welcome you know?"

The warrior silently contemplated the child before him. He assumed he was no older than ten years of age, given his stature and appearance. But the child _was_ perceptive and cautious, which impressed him.

"Well, you're right." the warrior replied nonchalantly. "You _can't_ trust me. But I _am_ your best bet here. Not to mention, I just saved your hide minutes ago, so you _should_ certainly give me the benefit of the doubt."

He turned back.

"Unless of course you prefer to stay here at Data Plains and salvage your way across on your own, you're more than welcome to be my guest." He began walking off towards the trees.

Ben's eyes widened.

The warrior had barely taken a few steps into the foliage when he heard a shout from behind. He smirked.

"Hey, no! Wait up." the boy shouted, running to catch up with him. The warrior turned around and gazed down at the boy, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Ben flushed in embarrassment.

"You _did_ save my life." Ben replied. "I don't know where I am but you clearly do." He paused, looking up at him expectantly.

The warrior shrugged.

"That doesn't sound like much of an apology to me." the warrior began tauntingly. "That's just a mere acknowledgement that I was right."

Ben sighed in frustration. Clearly, he wasn't going to let this go.

"I'm sorry." Ben mumbled in reply

"There you go." Quartzmon replied with a smirk. Ben turned away from him, a defiant expression on his face.

The warrior looked on in amusement. The boy was prideful and clearly held his head high even when he knew he was in the wrong. He vaguely reminded him of himself.

"Come along." the warrior replied turning back, "We've got some ways to cover if we want to make our to Nexus Valley."

Ben began to walk alongside him. His eyes kept darting all over the place as if expecting something to leap out of the darkness any moment. Under normal circumstance, the warrior would have found this entertaining but he decided to take pity on the child. He extended his right arm and concentrated. Ben watched in surprise as a small orb of blue light sprang to life in the palm of his hand, lighting up the trees and the nearby foliage.

"How did you…I mean what is that?" Ben asked in amazement as he gazed transfixed at the orb of light which floated serenely in mid air over the warrior's palm.

"Data." Quartzmon replied simply.

Ben eyed him in puzzlement when he recalled his earlier words.

"You said we were in the 'digital world'?" Ben began hesitatingly, "Where exactly is that? I've never heard of it."

The warrior chuckled.

"I would have been surprised if you had." he replied, "Its…" He paused. How could he possibly explain this to a child without it being too complex? Suddenly an idea struck him. He stopped walking.

"Why did we stop?" Ben asked.

In reply, the warrior simply extended his other arm. A similar orb formed in his left arm. He crouched down until he was at the same level as the child and brought his arms closer.

"This," the warrior indicated to his left, "is your world. Earth." He raised his other arm. "_This_ is mine."

Ben's eyes widened in response as the information sunk in.

"Wait. So, I'm not on Earth anymore?" he asked as he gazed at the two orbs which were floating lazily over his palm.

The warrior was somewhat taken aback by the child's response. He had expected a much more dramatic one.

"No. you're not." the warrior replied. "The Digital World is very much similar to your own. Except that it exists on an entirely different plane of existence altogether."

The warrior knew he had completely lost the child with that statement. He decided to rephrase.

"What I mean is that these two worlds," he replied as the orbs pulsed brightly, "exist in different universes. In essence, you can never reach my world through conventional means of transportation in your world, including but not limited to what you humans refer to as 'space shuttles'"

Ben couldn't help but laugh lightly at that. As if he _always _used a space shuttle to communicate. But the warrior's statement had given rise to another question in Ben's mind.

"So…you're not an alien?" Ben asked him, puzzled.

The warrior stared back, equally puzzled.

"An alien? What's that?" he asked.

Ben shook his head.

"Never mind." Ben replied. "I have a few more questions though."

"Fire away." the warrior replied.

"What're those?" he asked, pointing at the two orbs floating in his palms.

The warrior frowned.

"Data." he repeated. "I thought we'd been over this."

Ben glared at him in frustration.

"No." he replied, "What I meant is what _is_ it? For that matter, how are you doing it? And how did you do all those things back there?" he asked, indicating the path behind them. "How can you fly? And shoot those…blasts at…at—"

"Cherrymon?" the warrior supplied.

"Yes. Him. And why do both of your names end with 'mon'? Are you like, related or something?"

"Well, that's a lot of questions you have there. So' I'll take each at a time. As to your first query, this—" he replied as he indicated the orbs, "—is data. Or simply, Digital Energy. It is a form of energy I and other Digimon in this world are capable of harnessing."

Ben nodded.

"Your second question was a follow up to the first. This energy enables us Digimon to perform tasks which humans such as yourself cannot perform. That includes flight and the ability to fight. As to the third, as I've mentioned earlier, the names of _all _Digimon such as myself, end with the suffix, 'mon. And no, I'm not related to Cherrymon. In fact, unlike humans, Digimon do not belong to families or foster relationships. We are more individualistic in nature."

The warrior paused and then shrugged. "At least_ I _am."

Ben watched silently as the warrior stood up and dropped his left, the orb dissipating into thin air. As he processed the information which he'd just been given, a question still remained in his mind. He looked up at Quartzmon.

"You said that we're in this…Digital World?" Ben asked.

The warrior nodded in response.

"So, I have one last question for you. How do I get back to my own world?" the boy asked.

The warrior sighed. He had been expecting this question and dreading it.

"You can't." he replied simply.

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**Author's note: ****I felt that was a good stopping point at this juncture. What will Ben do now that he knows there's no possibility of getting back home? Is Quartzmon trustable? We'll just have to wait to find out. R and R.**

**Anyways, I could really use a beta reader for this fanfiction. I would **_**really**_** appreciate it if anyone volunteered.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Digimon Story: LoSt EvOlUtIoN**

**Author's note: ****Thanks for your response guys. I'm really hoping this story pans out and gains more readers. Still could use a beta reader. Anyways, here you go.**

**Chapter 3**

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Ben's eyes widened exponentially.

"C-come again?" the boy asked, his voice breaking.

The warrior sighed. _This_ was the reaction he had been fearing.

"I wish I had better news to give you. But to my knowledge, I'm unaware of any method of travel between the two worlds." he replied in a somber tone. "I'm sorry."

Ben looked away from the warrior and turned to face the darkness behind him.

The warrior couldn't make out the child's expression but he was fairly certain he was crying owing to the jerky movement of his shoulders. Quartzmon had absolutely no experience dealing with humans. Especially crying ones. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two.

On the other hand, Ben was trying but failing miserably to hold himself together. The boy was still half-expecting himself to wake up in his room to a fresh day. Instead, he was now here—in an unknown world, with no way back.

But if there was one thing his grandfather had taught him, it was that things happened for a reason. And once things started to happen, it was only natural to let them occur instead of trying to force things to go back to the way they were. And the second thing he had taught him was to make the best out of a situation.

Ben sighed inwardly and raised his hands and wiped his tears away stubbornly. He refused to act like a child anymore. It was time to man up. He took a deep breath and exhaled, waiting for his breathing to even out before turning to face Quartzmon.

"Let's go." Ben replied simply before walking forward.

To say that the Digimon was startled would be the understatement of the century. Surprised eyes followed the boy before he walked up, catching up to him. While he still could not discern any expression on his face, he assumed the child was trying to remain calm. Yet, he couldn't help but notice his nostrils flaring and the tear marks on his face.

"Tell me more." Ben asked, turning his face towards him.

"About?" the warrior followed up.

"The Digital World." Ben replied as he was finding remaining calm extremely difficult given the current turn of events.

"Oh." the warrior replied, "Ummm….sure. What would you like to know?"

"What are Digimon? Are you guys like us?" the boy asked.

"By us, if you mean 'humans', then the answer is no." the warrior replied. "Digimon are the primary inhabitants of the Digital World. We are creatures made up of data unlike you humans. But we _do _share a few similarities to your species as a whole."

"Such as?" Ben asked for clarification.

"Well, for starters, Digimon are just like humans in the sense that we too evolve during our lives as we grow. Digimon are mainly classified into 5 distinct categories based on their stages. Baby Digimon are those who are just born into the world. They hatch from DigiEggs."

"Wait." Ben asked as he gazed at the warrior in surprise, "You're born from what now?"

The warrior chuckled in amusement.

"Yes, it _is _rather odd. But Digimon do not reproduce, or I should say, are incapable of doing so. DigiEggs are formed in the Village of New Beginnings."

"Ohhhh." Ben said, as he understood the connection. "New beginnings. I get it now. That's where you all begin your lives from."

The warrior nodded.

"As I was saying, it is the first stage of a Digimon's life cycle. It is the initial stage, and thus the weakest. Akin to human infants, such as yourself."

"Hey!" Ben cried out indignantly. "Are you saying I'm weak?"

The warrior smirked.

"You said it. Not me." he replied tauntingly. "Anyways, jokes aside, the next stage is In-Training. This is the first evolution that a Digimon undergoes in its life cycle. But this stage is almost as useless when it comes to combat because the Digimon are still inexperienced and are unable to properly harness Digital Energy."

Ben nodded. He was just about to ask what the next stage was when a figure shot across their path, obstructing it. Quartzmon frowned as the sphere in his palm glowed brightly lighting up the new figures.

The first thing that came to mind when Ben observed the figure was that it bore a striking resemblance to chess piece. A pawn to be more precise. Chess was one of his favoured games and the child loved engaging in games with his grandfather who had actually taught him the game to begin with. Although he had come close. Ben had yet to beat his grandfather in a game who was an expert when it came to chess.

Back to the situation at hand, the pawn-like figure had its visor down so Ben couldn't make out any discernable eyes. The figure crossed its stubby hands together and brought its small spear down with a sharp _tap_ on the ground.

"Who dares pass the Forest of Awakening?" the figure asked in a squeaky voice which would have made Ben laugh had Quartzmon not stepped in between them.

"Let us pass. We're on the way to Nexus Valley." he replied.

"I'm afraid I cannot let strangers pass. Especially a _human_." The figure turned its head to face Ben and he was sure that he was glaring at him.

Ben frowned.

"What's wrong with being a human?" Ben retorted angrily.

"You dare to question an aspiring knight!" the figure bellowed in a squeaky voice. "Know your place, human." he sneered.

"Oh, I know_ my_ place." Ben replied indignantly, crossing his arms over. "And I certainly don't have to answer to the likes of you."

The pawn-like figure did not respond. Instead, it crossed its spear and readied it. Without warning, it rushed towards the boy, spear in hand.

"Pawn Spear!" the Digimon shouted.

Ben's eyes widened in shock as the figure approached.

Quartzmon, who had been watching in amusement as the PawnChessmon and Ben exchange heated remarks, interjected immediately when he noticed the Digimon ready its spear. His left hand shot out sharply.

Ben watched in surprise as the pawn-like figure which had been charging at him, was thrown backwards by an invisible force. Ben turned to Quartzmon to notice his left hand was outstretched.

"Move." the warrior ordered in a low voice. "Or I'll _make _you."

The pawn-like figure steadied itself before it crossed its spear and charged. This time though, his target was Quartzmon.

"Pawn Charge" he bellowed a she rushed towards the warrior as fast as his nimble feet could carry him. He had barely reached halfway when another shockwave of energy erupted from his left hand. This time the Digimon was outright lifted off his feet and thrown backwards into a nearby tree, the trunk snapping in half beneath its weight.

Ben was about to tell Quartzmon to take it easy when he suddenly noticed a movement from the corner of his eye.

"Quartzmon! Watch out!" Ben shouted in warning.

He watched as a dark figure resembling a darker version of the pawn-like figure shot out from underneath the foliage with a cry. This time though, the spear and the buckler were positioned in front of it and the tip of the spear was glowing brightly.

"Pawn Penetrate!"

Ben could only watch in shock as the Digimon neared Quartzmon who didn't appear to have heard Ben's warning.

What happened next only surprised the boy even more.

Ben watched in amazement as what appeared to be a green barrier was erected immediately behind Quartzmon. The tip of the spear crashed against the barrier before bouncing off completely. The shimmering barrier dissolved into thin air. Quartzmon finally turned around to face the second Digimon.

"I don't appreciate those who attack when from the shadows." the warrior replied, his eyes narrowed. "Now, as I mentioned to your companion earlier, move or else I will make you."

Ben knew the warrior wasn't joking as the threat was evident in his voice. Yet he couldn't help but watch in amazement as the black pawn-like figure steadied itself. In the meantime, the white pawn-like Digimon had also managed to recover. Both began to chuckle.

"You might have bested us one on one…" the white figure began.

"…but how will you beat us combined?" the dark figure finished before both raised their spears and pointed them at Quartzmon. Both figures took a step backwards before brandishing their spears and charging forward.

"Storm of Steel!" both shouted in unison.

Ben could only watch in worry as he noticed that both their speed had doubled when they were working as a team. Even Ben was having difficulty observing them.

The warrior sighed. He had been hoping to end this without a fight. But clearly these two would have to learn the hard way. He simply dropped both his hands before he shut his eyes.

Ben watched in shock as the warrior appeared to have dropped out of a defensive stance and closed his eyes. Ben could only watch in horror as both Digimon were closing in on him. The tips of their spears were mere inches away from them when the warrior's eyes snapped open.

Ben felt his hair rise on its end as a powerful shockwave shot from the warrior in a ripple. Despite the shockwave's power, it passed harmlessly over Ben. On the other hand, the two Digimon weren't so lucky.

Both had been knocked off course and had slammed into opposing trees, the respective trees subsequently collapsing in on them immediately afterwards.

"Had enough?" the warrior asked, as the figure stirred from beneath the trunks of the trees, finally managing to get up. Ben could see that their armor was scratched and bruised in multiple areas and both were panting heavily. On the other hand, the warrior simply crossed his hands arrogantly. He didn't appear to have broken a sweat.

"You…may pass." the white pawn replied.

"But this is far from over." the black pawn finished, before both of them seemingly disappeared into the darkness.

Ben sighed in relief. He then rushed up to the warrior.

"That was so cool!" Ben gushed in excitement. "I thought that last attack would actually hit. But you stopped them! That was amazing"

The warrior smirked.

"Well, from a human's standpoint, it would certainly appear so." the warrior replied before he uncrossed his arms. "I hope they weren't able to hurt you?" he asked.

"Nah. I'm fine." Ben replied, brushing him off. "Perfect as a peach."

The warrior eyed him with a confused expression.

"What's a peach?" he asked.

Ben sighed and slapped his hand against his forehead in exasperation.

* * *

**Author's note: ****There you go, guys. Another chapter. We get to see a bit more of Quartzmon's potential. But the real events will kick off from next chapter when they finally arrive at Nexus Valley. Stay tuned for next time. R and R.**


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